Method for operating a towing robot

• US 9,816,283 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2015
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Nordbruch, Stefan, Nicodemus, Rolf, Irion, Albrecht, Hoffmann, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): INGRAM, THOMAS P
• Application Number:
  US14/924,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20160115702A1
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/06 Automatic manoeuvring for parking
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 6/24 characterised by use of dollies for horizontal transport , i.e. cars being permanently parked on wheeled platforms
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0055 with safety arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/02 Control of position or course in two dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0968 Systems involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle

Abstract

A method is provided for operating a towing robot, where in the event an error occurs during autonomous driving of a vehicle within a parking lot, the error causing the vehicle to be no longer able to continue its autonomous driving, the towing robot is instructed to tow the vehicle to a predetermined position, so that the towing robot tows the vehicle to the predetermined position in response to the instruction. Also described herein are a towing robot, a parking system, as well as a computer program.

Claims

1. A method for operating a towing robot by a parking lot management system, comprising:

monitoring autonomous driving of a vehicle, by a data processing device of the parking lot management system, for errors with the aid of a monitoring system which is entirely external to the vehicle;

determining, by the data processing device based on the monitoring, that an error has occurred during autonomous driving of the vehicle within a parking lot, the error causing the vehicle to be no longer able to continue its autonomous driving; and

communicating an instruction to the towing robot, by the data processing device in response to the determining, to tow the vehicle to a predetermined position, so that the towing robot tows the vehicle to the predetermined position in response to the instruction.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the monitoring system includes at least one video camera entirely external to the vehicle.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising employing the at least one video camera to document at least one of:

autonomous driving of the vehicle within the parking lot, and

towing of the vehicle with the aid of the towing robot.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising blocking, at least during a towing time, an area for at least one of other vehicles and persons, the area corresponding to an area in which the towing robot moves in order to tow away the vehicle.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the towing robot is a parking robot.

6. A parking lot management system, comprising:

a data processing device configured to;

monitor autonomous driving of a vehicle for errors with the aid of a monitoring system which is entirely external to the vehicle;

determine that an error has occurred during autonomous driving of the vehicle within a parking lot, the error causing the vehicle to be no longer able to continue its autonomous driving; and

communicate an instruction to a towing robot, in response to determination of the error, to tow the vehicle to a predetermined position, so that the towing robot tows the vehicle to the predetermined position in response to the instruction.

7. A parking system, comprising:

a parking lot;

a towing robot for towing a vehicle present within the parking lot; and

a data processing device configured to;

monitor autonomous driving of a vehicle for errors with the aid of a monitoring system which is entirely external to the vehicle;

determine that an error has occurred during autonomous driving of the vehicle within the parking lot, the error causing the vehicle to be no longer able to continue its autonomous driving; and

communicate an instruction to the towing robot, in response to determination of the error, to tow the vehicle to a predetermined position, so that the towing robot tows the vehicle to the predetermined position in response to the instruction.

8. The parking system as recited in claim 7, wherein the monitoring system includes at least one video camera entirely external to the vehicle.

9. The parking system as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

a documentation device for employing the at least one video camera to document at least one of;

autonomous driving of the vehicle within the parking lot, and

towing of the vehicle with the aid of the towing robot.

10. A computer program product, including a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program code for causing at least one data processing device to:

perform monitoring of autonomous driving of a vehicle for errors with the aid of a monitoring system which is entirely external to the vehicle;

perform determining, based on the monitoring, that an error has occurred during autonomous driving of a vehicle within a parking lot, the error causing the vehicle to be no longer able to continue its autonomous driving; and

communicate an instruction to the towing robot to tow the vehicle to a predetermined position, so that the towing robot tows the vehicle to the predetermined position in response to the instruction.